As I Burn
by BatByte
Summary: A lone Draenei, Diabla, ventures forth into the world to find what has happened to her lost home, Draenor. Read on and find all about the empty world she finds, and the frightening transformation she takes... Guaranteed to be an interesting read.


-"As I Burn..."-

-Chapter One-  
-Just Begun-

The woman glanced back. Good, she wasn't being followed. Trudging on through the wilderness, blisters sprouting from her bare feet, she lazily grasped her sword and swung it into the vines ahead. They instantly fell to the ground, not a single reminder to show that it had been cut by a blade. Most passerbys would believe it an animal, such as the many Amani War Bears that had been led down the very same path, hundreds of years ago.

I suppose you would want to know a bit about this story before I continue. Very well.  
This is a story of Diabla (Dee-ab-luh) Kriistai (Kris-tie), Draenei, hieght 6'3", weight 130 lbs. In her spare time, she works as a thrill-seeker. For now, a Mercenary, a "Hero for Hire", if you so wish to call her that. Her parents were Arkinon (Arr-kee-non) Kriistai and Edaari (Ed-arr-ee) Kriistai. Both parents deceased, supports her lone brother, Lothlarii (Loth-larr-ee) Kriistai. Current whereabouts unknown to all... All but us, reader.

Diabla swigged another drink from her flask. One could always count on good, stout Dwarven ale. It filled not only the heart, but the mind and the soul, as well. The Dwarves... She remembered back to how one of them had saved her life all those years ago... Although they were a bit... Harsh, they had a way of making you laugh in the midst of a battle, as your comrades died about you.

Just then, she heard a crunch, froze in place. She didn't even dare to look behind, beside, nowhere. Just straight ahead. Another crunch, and another. Something was coming closer.

Fast.

Diabla ripped out her sword from it's sheath. The cool handle seemed to meld into her hand, as one entity. She stood in a regular battle stance, ready for anything that might happen to her along the way.

Something darted out of the trees in front, she swung the sword...

And two halves of a bat lay in front her. She poked it to make sure it was real, and dead, and so trudged on.

But not before someone had seen her actions...

Again, Diabla wheeled around and thrust her hand into nearby bushes, pulling out something that looked only vaguely humanoid by the collar.

It had dyed green hair, spiked up into a line straight above it's head. It's green head... Somewhat pointed, or was it just the light of the dark jungle? No, Diabla blinked once to make sure she was seeing correctly. And she was. The creature appeared to have two giant tusks jutting from it's mouth, much like some of the Nightsabers she had seen near Darnassus. Except these jutted upwards, as if towards the heavens... Diabla winced as she remembered the memories that she never had. The memories of Home, of Draenor. Damn the Orc traitors, she thought...

She paused the thinking for a second in her head. This creature was fairly reminiscent of an Orc, except for it's giagantic body, which seemed to tower over her... Or would have, had she not grasped tightly to it's throat. The creature was beginning to foam at the mouth. She loosened her grip. Couldn't have a source of Information used up in an instant, like that.

Not now, not ever.

"What the hell are you?" She asked the creature, cocking her head to one side in a confused state.  
"Me bein'..." The creature started to cough up silvery foam. "Me bein' nothin' you bein'... you bein' wantin' to know, mon"  
"I am no man, as you can clearly see." Diabla decided to curtsy before it.

Bad move.

The creature, whatever it was, took the opportunity to slam his fist into her head, and even though Diabla sidestepped it, her attacker was transfixed on her death. It swung again, again, again...

Each time, more laboured movement, slower-seeming, almost as if the creature was getting tired. Diabla decided to play with it, toy with the sorry mess of a thing.

Apparently, today was not a good day for her...

The creature, only faking his condition, ripped out a massive axe and swung it toward her neck. Recoiling just in time, Diabla managed to dodge the blow, while simultaneously snaking her leg into a coiled spring. Pushing off the ground with her hand, the spring released it's energy...

...Directly into the creature's knee.

It recoiled in pain as it's knee crunched beneath the force of Diabla's heel. The leg seemed to wobble for but a moment, and collapsed backwards. Ouch.

"Tell me again, what are you"  
"You be gettin' NOTHIN' from me, voodoo-woman!" The creature bit it's lower lip in a form of sacrifice. Diabla heard another crack as it's tusks broke through skull and brain, before jutting out of the top of it's head, just like horns. She wondered how she had gotten her horns in the first place. But now was not the time.

The limp corpse of the creature fell to it's side and landed in her outstretched hands. Diabla slowly put the corpse to the ground, without any noise, while reading the tattoo on the thing's arm.

-Amani We Are, True And Proud- it read.

"So, Amani Troll..." She whispered to herself. "That's what you were. And if that's what you were, then..." She peered at the thickening forest ahead.  
"This must be the place." Her other mind replied. "Time to do our job"  
"Chaos, Panic and Disorder-" She read the motto burned into her arm. "-My work here is done."  
"On the contrary, it has just begun."


End file.
